At least 15 people have died, and dozens went missing after an overloaded ferry capsized on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe. The southern African country’s disaster management agency said  that 77 people were rescued and brought to Long Island, a small island on the lake. From there, they were taken to land on CPU vessels.

According to Zimbabwe’s Civil Protection Unit (CPU), 114 adult passengers and five crew members were on board, which it said was confirmed through ticket sales. The boat may also have had an unconfirmed number of children below the ticketing age, despite a carrying capacity of 90 people, the agency added.

What witness saw during the accident?

One witness told AFP that the boat left as what began as an ordinary morning in bad weather, and that a wave may have hit it, causing the engines to switch off. “When we were in the waters, then you could see a distress sign and then boats that were close by responded,” said Maxton Kanhema.

“People were in distress… There were bodies in the water, and it was a sad situation to witness. Those that could be rescued were rescued. However, due to the bad weather, the responses were a bit late. Getting to the boat took time, and unfortunately lives were lost,” he added.

People were worried if boat would withstand strong waves 

Mutsa Murombedzi, a local member of Parliament, shared a video of what she described as people on the shore waving off what looked like the ageing ferry at the beginning of its journey. She added that rural communities use the ferry to travel along Lake Kariba to the town. According to the clip, a few people on the shore were also concerned about whether the boat would withstand strong waves on the South African lake.

Meanwhile, the Zimbabwean state broadcaster ZBC published a video showing a helicopter flying overhead, while speedboats headed towards what seemed to be an overturned ferry. Meanwhile, Police said further details would be released “in due course”.

About Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe

Lake Kariba is the world’s largest man-made lake by volume. Lake Kariba, measuring 124 miles (200 kilometers) long and up to 25 miles (40 kilometers) wide in places, forms part of the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia. It was reportedly created in the late 1950s and early 1960s by damming the Zambezi River. The official border between the two nations is said to run through the middle of this lake.

Multiple boat accidents reported on the lake

• In July 2021, a boat with eight people on board capsized on the lake. According to Zimbabwe’s Herald, one person drowned, while three people were rescued. Several were also feared dead in the tragedy. The passengers’ combined weight, baggage, and fish may have exceeded the original capacity, reports added.
• In September 2023, four people were reportedly killed after a small boat capsized on the lake near Tsetse Island. 
• In March 2025, one person was feared dead after a boat capsized during a fierce storm, according to NewsDay Zimbabwe. The report added that two people were traveling on the fisherman’s boat at the time of the incident.